costume design, history of corsets

Corsets

Corsets have been a staple item of clothing for hundreds of years. The definition of a corset is ‘a garment. The general idea of wearing a corset was to make the waist appear slimmer. As fashions changed so did corsets.
The first solid proof of corset usage was in the early 16th century. At this point in time the objective of corsets was not to suck in the waist but only to make the bust appear bigger. By the middle of the same century corsets were worn by most women and seen as the normal thing to wear. These corsets contained wooden planks inside the linen to make the posture of the wearer appear straight. This type of corset was used until the late 18th century.
Corsets created in the late 18th century had a slightly different effect on the women wearing them. The aim of these corsets was to make the body appear much slimmer in contrast to the large skirts that were the fashion at the time. They also shaped the bust and forced the women to stand straight. These corsets, although making the wearer appear slimmer, did not narrow the waist much at all. Historians believe these corsets were comfortable for the women and did not restrict movement except for bending.
In the earlier 19th century corsets had a complete makeover and became much smaller, only going just around the bust area. This allowed much more freedom of movement and the natural waistline would be visible whilst still shaping the bust.
smaller 19th century corset During the Victorian era corsets were back to covering the full torso going slightly lower than the hips and for the first time their primary purpose was to dramatically decrease the waistline making women appear more curvaceous. Doctors began to worry about the effect of these corsets on women’s health
Corsets lost popularity during world war one. Women were asked to stop buying corsets to free up metal supplies for the military and many women removed the metal from corsets they already owned to help the cause. It’s believed that this action alone freed up 28,000 tons of metal showing just how popular corsets were. Women had become used to not wearing corsets and seeing others without them, I believe this is why they are no longer a staple item of clothing for women.